The upgrade for the government's latest private jet, which was reportedly done to create meeting space, is unacceptable, says Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli.

Rafizi  said the jet already had a meeting space, and as such the upgrade, allegedly costing RM28 million, was not necessary.

"I've published pictures of stock jets before the RM28 million upgrade... the back is a normal seating cabin, and the front is a meeting space.

"So I can't accept the excuse. Even if you are in business class, all the facilities at the seat are enough to hold a meeting," he told a press conference in the Parliament lobby.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak yesterday defended the government’s purchase and upgrade of a luxury jet for VIP use, saying it was needed for official meetings mid-flight.

'Too many coincidences'

"We want to see pictures (of the jet) after the upgrade so that we can compare before and after and see what the RM28 million has added to the plane," Rafizi said.

Rafizi, who is also PKR secretary-general, said he will comment further on the new jet tomorrow, specifically regarding its stopver in Kazakhstan.

"There's just too many coincidences," he said referring to the new VIP jet's recent stopover in Almaty.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister's Department explained the stop in Almaty, where Najib had just attended a wedding reception for his daughter last month, was due to  bad weather  and refuelling.

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